COLUMN: End of the streak, season for Mount St. Mary's

Wednesday

Mar 13, 2013 at 10:30 AM

The Mount St. Mary's men's basketball team tasted defeat for the first time since Feb. 6 last night in the Northeast Conference Tournament championship game against two-time defending NEC champion LIU Brooklyn.

Lee Goodwin

The Mount St. Mary's men's basketball team tasted defeat for the first time since Feb. 6 last night in the Northeast Conference Tournament championship game against two-time defending NEC champion LIU Brooklyn.Playing in its third NEC championship game in the last six years, the Mount was hoping to crash the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

It ended in a 91-70 loss for the Mountaineers.Things were looking up for the Mountaineers after the visitors took a 10-4 lead following a three-point shot by Sam Prescott. Another trey by Prescott less than a minute later made it 13-6 and it appeared the Mount was in prime position to "steal" another road game in the conference tournament — just like they did the two previous games against Bryant and top-seed Robert Morris.But the Blackbirds proved too much for the Mountaineers, which couldn't find a way to stop LIU Brooklyn from scoring inside the paint and couldn't answer when they fell behind in the second half. Mount St. Mary's led 31-29 with time winding down in the first half, but the Blackbirds scored the final six points of the half to take a lead they did not lose the rest of the game.In fact, it went from bad to worse for a team that had won its nine previous games, including an 83-71 triumph over LIU Brooklyn back on Feb. 21 at Emmitsburg, Md.A quick look at the final stat sheet reveals how dominant the Blackbirds were in the "rubber" game between the two teams. LIU Brooklyn beat Mount St. Mary's in the first meeting of the season, 86-72, at Barclays Center. The Blackbirds outrebounded the Mountaineers 36-27 and recorded five more assists (19-14) and seven more steals (11-4). Both teams committed 13 turnovers.But the big difference was the scoreboard itself. LIU Brooklyn took Mount St. Mary's Mayhem philosophy and made it its own. The Mount could not find a way to score the way it did against Fairleigh Dickinson in the season finale, when the Mountaineers won 103-82.It was simply the Blackbirds' night. They shot 61.4 percent from the field (35-57) and were 5 for 9 from the three-point line. Conversely, Mount St. Mary's shot 39.7 percent (27-68). Now, wait for it. . . because, if these numbers were better, it's an entirely different game. The Mount shot 9 for 31 from the three-point arc (29 percent). All season long, head coach Jamion Christian's team has lived or died by the three.Last night, well, you know which one.Christian must have been thinking of such a scenario as his team was preparing for last night's game."We're going to have to get back in transition and run a good offense," Christian said. "They can score so well. If you take bad shots and turn the ball over, it's virtually two points for them. We have to be disciplined, rebound the ball well and finish."Sure, Mount St. Mary's had five players score in double digits. But, as in games past when one player lights up the scoreboard for 25 or 28 points a game, last night's high scorer finished with 19 (Sam Prescott). Boy, the Mount could have used an encore 44-point performance by the junior. Following Prescott in the scoring column were Shivaughn Wiggins (13), Kristijan Krajina (12), Rashad Whack (10) and Julian Norfleet (10).LIU Brooklyn did get a big night from one of its players. C.J. Garner erupted for 31 points, which was almost better than the Mount's top two scorers. Jamal Olasewere added 15 points.The Mountaineers didn't start the second half like they did the first half. Not by a longshot. The Blackbirds went on a 7-0 run to begin the final 20 minutes. Mount St. Mary's didn't score its first bucket until the 17:19 mark of the half when Krajina made a jump shot to make it 42-33.LIU Brooklyn extended the lead to 56-42 on a dunk by Olasewere. The Mountaineers couldn't get any closer than 12 points after Olasewere's dunk electrified the Wellness Center Crowd.Going forward, the future is looking very bright for the Mount. Raven Barber and Oliver Brown were the only two seniors on a junior-dominated team that also included NEC Rookie of the Year Wiggins. Mount St. Mary's will return four starters (Wiggins, Whack, Prescott and Norfleet).It's safe to say that the Mountaineers — which missed the NEC Tournament last season for the first time since 2005 — won't be sneaking up on anyone next season.Still, the "what ifs?" can't be ignored. A win last night would have made for a very special St. Patrick's Day on campus in Emmitsburg, Md. I was there in 1995 when Mount players jumped for joy at the prospect of playing Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It's now wait and see if the Mount is invited to another post-season tournament.In the meantime, it was interesting to note another of Christian's sentiments after contemplating the fact that so many players are returning next season."We're very fortunate to have all these guys back, but it's important for the guys to understand the moment we're in," he said.Let's hope the Mount St. Mary's players bookmark this quote and pin it up on their lockers on Oct. 15, 2013.

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